Great Recipe. Here is what I added: increased the cumin by 0.5 TBSP, added a teaspoon of tomato paste, teaspoon of Moroccan spice, half a teaspoon of tumeric, teaspoon of dried mint. I also added 1 carrot diced and 1 celery diced, as well as 2 cloves of garlic. I sautéed all of the vegetables with the onion, then added it half way through. I pureed half of the soup, and left the other half as is to give some texture.

Reviewer:

This a great soup - very flavorful, tasty and fast! I have cooked it for a few years now and never get tired of it. I only omit the pepper because my kids don't like spicy. I double the cumin as others have recommended and never blend the soup. The lemon and the cumin make this soup, I make sure to use both of them as fresh as I can. It also freezes well for those nights when you need to feed little ones quickly!

Reviewer:

Oh boy this is good and EASY! I used brown lentils instead of red (don't think it really matters) and I increased the cumin and the lemon juice during pureeing until I was happy with the flavour - no real science behind it. Also added extra broth because after pureeing I found the soup to be too thick. Instead of cayenne I used home-made chili powder that I made from chilis I grew in my garden. We don't use cilantro in my household so I substituted with parsley, which in my opinion is more traditionally middle eastern. Sounds like I deviated a lot but really I didn't, just tweaked here and there to my liking. Will definitely make again.

Reviewer:

I love lentil soup. But not this one. The lemon juice is overpowering, and I don't care for the cumin in this soup. I will not make this again, but stick with the excellent Greek Lentil Soup recipe that I found on this website.

Reviewer:

Love, love this soup it's been a staple in my house for a few years now. I make it exactly like it says and don't forget the lemon. I also add fresh spinach, kale and sausage links when I need more. Enjoy!